Public trust in institutions is at a critically low level worldwide, posing a risk to community cohesion. This presentation will cover a decade of community research in low-income coastal communities in the UK, which aimed to build capacity and connections between communities and institutions, thereby contributing to community cohesion. A range of Participatory Action Research (PAR) approaches will be described, including peer interviews, doorstep surveys, and photovoice, all of which were conducted in collaboration with local institutions, such as schools, the police, and local government. The transdisciplinary theoretical scope of the work covered social psychology, sociology and activism, all of which are central to community psychology. A synthesis of the data revealed that perceived relationships between communities and institutions are a significant contributor to the success of interventions aimed at building community capacity and connections. Collectively, the experiences of participants have been collated and contributed to a co-produced 'relational wealth building' framework (Wilson, 2024). The research had a significant impact in building sustainable communities by enhancing capacity and fostering relationships between communities and institutions. New grassroots community organisations have created employment opportunities for local activists, which address the needs of the community as identified through their research (Wilson & Morris, 2022). The findings have also been used by local government to develop new mechanisms for engaging and involving diverse communities in local decision-making (Wilson, 2025). Moreover, the methodologies that have evolved throughout the course of the research have recently been commissioned by a leading UK philanthropy charity to develop community-led grant-making strategies. The challenges of building relational wealth and relational democracy between communities and institutions will be critically discussed. It is hoped that this session will inspire others to develop relational research and practice, cultivating conditions of hope, responsibility and democratic values.